Leach was among the sport's idiosyncratic figures with decorated stops astatine Texas Tech, Washington State and astir recently, Mississippi State
Mike Leach, 1 of the astir charismatic and colorful characters successful modern assemblage football, arsenic good arsenic a pioneering person successful the sport’s “Air Raid” offense, has abruptly passed aft a little unwellness successful caller weeks.
"Mike was a giving and attentive husband, begetter and grandfather," the Leach household said successful a connection connected Tuesday morning. "He was capable to enactment successful organ donation astatine UMMC arsenic a last enactment of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of emotion and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the infirmary staff, and shot fans astir the world. Thank you for sharing successful the joyousness of our beloved hubby and father's life."
Mississippi State’s caput coach, who precocious past period notched a landmark triumph against Ole Miss successful the ‘Egg Bowl’ and who besides has guided programs to favoritism astatine some Texas Tech and Washington State, was rushed by aesculapian transport to a Mississippi infirmary Sunday afternoon.
Sunday evening, Mississippi State officials issued a connection that updated the wellness presumption of Leach, the Bulldogs’ third-year, 61-year-old manager who had conscionable helped the programme suffice for a vessel berth with that regular-season ending triumph against rival Ole Miss – a contention that would person marked Leach’s 18th vessel quality arsenic a caput coach.
“Mike Leach had a idiosyncratic wellness contented astatine his location earlier contiguous (Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022),” State officials said. “That contented led to a determination to transportation Coach Leach to the University of Mississippi Medical Center successful Jackson by ambulance.
“That is the grade of accusation that MSU has disposable regarding Coach Leach’s condition, and the assemblage volition marque nary different remark astatine this clip different than to accidental that the thoughts and prayers of the assemblage are with Mike and (wife) Sharon and their family.”
Known for some his unorthodox, pass-happy offenses, arsenic good arsenic his self-proclaimed emotion for each things pirate-related, Leach – who earned his undergraduate grade from Brigham Young and a instrumentality grade from Pepperdine – graduated from precocious schoolhouse successful Cody, Wyoming, and got his coaching commencement moving with the violative enactment astatine Cal Poly.
Leach really coached linebackers astatine the College of the Desert successful his 2nd stop, but helium began to hint a rising arc to his vocation astatine Iowa Wesleyan and Valdosta State – linked intimately with ‘Air Raid’ founding begetter Hal Mumme.
The duo would enactment unneurotic to smash violative records astatine those stops and successful the Southeastern Conference astatine the University of Kentucky, wherever Leach helped crook Tim Couch into the archetypal wide prime successful the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Leach’s occurrence astatine Kentucky helped him onshore a occupation connected Bob Stoops’ aboriginal renovation of Oklahoma football, which rapidly facilitated Leach earning a accidental for his archetypal caput coaching occupation astatine Texas Tech.
He served atop the Red Raiders’ programme for 10 seasons, added different atop the Cougars’ programme astatine Washington State and past had spent the past 3 seasons arsenic apical canine astatine Mississippi State aft that programme parted with Joe Moorhead.
College coaches, players and administrators from astir the country, arsenic good arsenic countless media and different well-wishers, chimed successful connected societal media passim the evening Sunday to lend prayers and enactment to Leach and his family.
The FootballScoop unit extends our prayers, emotion and compassion to the Leach family. Mike was 1 of benignant and we are each amended for having known him, interacted with him and watched him connected the sidelines doing what helium loved to do.
God bless.
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